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Tag: Vanity Fair
Josh Hutcherson Talks About the ‘The Hunger Games’ and Peeta
Vanity Fair sat down with Josh Hutcherson for a little Q & A and Josh reveals a lot about how he knew he was meant to play Peeta after reading the books, how he gets along with co-star Jennifer Lawrence, and how he thinks the fans will receive the movie.
Tell me about getting this role.
It was a very rigorous auditioning process. I’ve been a fan of the series for a little while now, and I went in and I met with Gary and Suzanne [Collins, the author of the Hunger Games books] and a couple of the producers initially, and I did a little audition. It was great, and I really hit it off with them and felt really good about it. And then a couple weeks went by, which were brutal. And then they brought me in to do a screen test, basically, with Jennifer, where I read with her. . . . And then I had to wait another couple of weeks or so before I found out that I got the part. And that was brutal, after doing a screen test. I think it was actually about a week and a half, [and] waiting to hear anything was just, like, ugh. Because I wanted it so badly, and all that time just lying there, waiting to see what happens, was pretty rough.
Have you read the books?
I don’t read a whole lot of books, because I’m usually busy reading scripts, but these books were so good that I literally read all three of them over the course of five days or something. I really powered through them. And while I was reading the books, my mind was being blown as to how much I felt like I was like Peeta, and how I felt like I could relate. I’ve never really felt more right for a character in my whole life. That, in a way, is kind of even more scary, because if you don’t get hired, it’s like, Oh my God, what am I? What am I doing? What’s wrong?
And how is it working with Jennifer?
[She] and I totally hit it off. We’re both very crazy people—we don’t really hold anything back. Which is really great. We were able to have a really good time, and not let anything get in the way of it looking stupid or anything like that. We probably look stupid like 99 percent of the time, but we have a good time doing it—so it’s worth it.
And overall, how do you think people are going to receive these?
At times when you’re adapting a book into a movie, you have to take certain creative liberties to bridge the gap between the two forms of media. And with Suzanne involved, I feel like that can really ease people’s minds who are worried about it being changed too much, because it’s staying true to the story. But there are certain things—like, for instance, in the Hunger Games books it’s completely internal monologue with Katniss. She talks out loud, or you hear her voice in her head basically talking about how she feels and whatnot. In the movie, you can’t really do that without narration. . . . [Y]ou have to find a way to tell these things without using exposition or without using narration. I think we did that really well, and I think that people are going to be really happy with it. What’s cool too is that even though it’s a big, action, kind of studio movie, it had a really sort of indie feel on set, where we had a lot of creative liberty.
Gary Ross Talks ‘Hunger Games’, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Suzanne Collins!
As part of Vanity Fair‘s special on The Hunger Games they interviewed Gary Ross, the director, about the the cast and characters in the film. Gary tells Vanity Fair how he originally got into The Hunger Games, how he came to choose Jennifer Lawrence for the role of Kaniss Everdeen, his opinion on Josh Hutcherson as an actor, and living up to Suzanne Collins’ expectations.
Krista Smith (Vanity Fair): Tell me—how did you get into The Hunger Games?
Gary Ross: I read the book. My kids turned me on to it, and I went nuts. I guess, about a year ago. I literally read it and said, “I have to make the movie.”
KS: And what’s been the best part so far?
GR: You rarely get a tentpole that has this much emotional depth, this much character to dive into. The character of Katniss is . . . incredible. Suzanne [Collins, the author of the books,] did such an amazing job, and painted such a vivid character that I think for me and Jen. . . . It was just exciting every day. Not just from a pure filmmaking perspective, but also just in terms of the depth of the acting and exploring the character.
KS: How did you get Jennifer to play Katniss?
GR: I was just a fan. When you do what I do, any time you see an actor like this emerge—I think everybody’s head sort of snapped, you know? Both from Winter’s Bone and other work that she’s done, I was just always very aware of her. And then I had a meeting with her, and I was just as impressed, and then she came in and read for us and she sort of blew me away. But I wasn’t totally surprised, because I think that an actor like this comes along, you know, once a generation.
KS: I’m reading the book now—I’m told once you start, you’re not able to stop.
GR: Totally true. And also, [Katniss is] just such a compelling character, and her struggle and her evolution is so beautiful, and that’s what I’m saying. You see the character emerge and grow and have so much strength—she’s a very important character for kids, because she starts off purely in a fight for survival, and by the end of the story, she learns there’s so much more. There [are] things more important than merely surviving—like, what does it mean to actually live?
Click ‘More’ below to read more of the interview!
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Gary Ross Talk ‘The Hunger Games’
Along with the amazing Vanity Fair photos Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and director Gary Ross had a few things to say about The Hunger Games movie and books.
Jennifer Lawrence, who received an Oscar nomination last year for her performance in Winter’s Bone, is Katniss, the heroine, who, when her younger sister gets picked in the reaping, volunteers to take her place. “Katniss is an incredible character: she’s a hunter but not a killer, a 16-year-old who’s being forced into the arena,” says Lawrence. “These kids are killing one another only because if they don’t they’ll die. It’s heartbreaking.”
Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) plays Peeta, who has loved Katniss since childhood and who is also chosen in the reaping. “I literally read all three books over the course of five days,” he says. “My mind was blown by how much I felt I was like Peeta. We shot in the forest near Asheville, North Carolina—a lot of fight scenes, very physically demanding. Jennifer and I totally hit it off. We’re both crazy people—we don’t hold anything back.”
“My kids turned me on to it, and I went nuts,” says Ross, adding, “You rarely get a tentpole that has this much emotional depth, this much character to dive into.”
Ross concludes, “My responsibility was to Suzanne and the readers, to give them the same experience they had when they read the book. I was just so lucky that I had the cast I had.”
The December Issue of Vanity Fair featuring The Hunger Games cast photo spread hits stands in New York and Los Angeles on November 3rd and Nationwide on November 8th. Be sure to pick up your copy when it hits newstands! It’s also now available on the iPad!
[Source: Vanity Fair]
MORE Vanity Fair Pictures of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth!
We previously posted a picture from the Vanity Fair shoot featuring the young cast, well now we also have three more pictures featuring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth! I really love these pictures! The December Issue of Vanity Fair featuring The Hunger Games cast photo spread hits stands in New York and Los Angeles on November 3rd and Nationwide on November 8th. Be sure to pick up your copy when it hits newstands! It’s also now available on the iPad!
